Archie Patrick Himons, also known as Little Archie and latterly Aashid Himons, (September 22, 1942 – March 19, 2011) was an American singer and musician born in West Virginia. He was "a musical innovator that fused traditional country blues with reggae and world music during the late 1970s"
and is best known for his "blu-reggae" band Afrikan Dreamland.
Biography
Himons was born in rural West Virginia and learned to play the piano by the age of three and the drums by the time he was five years old.
At the age of ten, he made his debut performing on national television on NBC's ''The Today Show''.
[Daryl Sanders, "Remembering Aashid Himons, 1942-2011, the man who brought reggae to Music City - The Lion Sleeps Tonight", ''Nashville Scene'', March 24, 2011.]
/ref>
He began his music career as pianist and soul singer signed to Dial Records by Buddy Killen
William Doyce “Buddy” Killen (November 13, 1932 – November 1, 2006) was an American record producer and Music publisher (popular music), music publisher, and a former owner of Trinity Broadcasting Network and Tree International Publishi ...
in 1966. He had two popular soul singles "All I Have To Do", and "You Can't Tie Me Down".
In the 1970s he converted to Rastafari
Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...
.Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, in 1979, where he finished recording ''Jah Messenger'', the first album of the Afrikan Dreamland group that he fronted.Vanderbilt University Medical Center
The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is a medical provider with multiple hospitals in Nashville, Tennessee, as well as clinics and facilities throughout Middle Tennessee. VUMC is an independent non-profit organization, but maintains a ...
of complications from diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
and vascular disease
Vascular disease is a class of diseases of the vessels of the circulatory system in the human body, body, including blood vessels – the arteries and veins, and the lymphatic vessels. Vascular disease is a subgroup of cardiovascular disease. Diso ...
.
References
External links
Official Aashid Himons website.
* ttp://www.allmusic.com/artist/aashid-himons-mn0001207856 Rev. Keith A. Gordon, "Aashid Himons", AllMusic.com.
1942 births
2011 deaths
American soul singers
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